Ecomm Breakthrough

In this episode, the host interviews Kelcey Lehrich, founder of 365 Holdings and co-founder of the HoldCo Conference. Kelcey shares her journey from traditional business to e-commerce, the growth of 365 Holdings, and the challenges of acquiring and integrating multiple brands. He discusses the purpose of the Holdco Conference for multi-business entrepreneurs, strategies for stable acquisitions, and the realities of shared services. The episode offers practical advice on self-awareness, focusing on key business levers, and learning from experience in scaling and managing holding companies.Chapters:Introduction to Kelcey Lehrich and Holdco Conference (00:00:00)Kelsey introduces himself and explains the origin and purpose of the Holdco Conference for multi-business entrepreneurs.Kelcey's Journey into E-commerce and 365 Holdings (00:02:22)Kelcey shares how he and his partner entered e-commerce, acquired their first businesses, and built 365 Holdings.365 Holdings’ Structure and Focus (00:03:30)Discussion of 365 Holdings’ current scale, vertical integration, and future focus on food, baby, and consumable brands.Growth Strategies: Product Launches and Acquisitions (00:04:28)Comparison of launching new products versus acquiring businesses, and the importance of consistent experimentation.What to Avoid When Acquiring Businesses (00:05:52)Kelcey outlines lessons learned and what to avoid when evaluating acquisition opportunities.365 Holdings’ Core Strengths and Incremental Improvements (00:07:04)Exploration of the company’s strengths, vertical integration, and focus on small, compounding operational improvements.The Reality of Shared Services in a Holdco (00:09:54)Kelcey discusses the challenges and realities of sharing services across multiple brands in a holding company.Three Actionable Takeaways for Entrepreneurs (00:11:44)Host summarizes three key lessons: self-awareness, vision and action, and learning through experience in M&A.Kelcey’s Book Recommendation (00:14:03)Kelcey recommends "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz for entrepreneurs managing growing teams.Favorite Productivity Tool (00:14:40)Kelcey shares Superhuman as his favorite email productivity tool.Influential Figures in E-commerce (00:15:25)Kelcey discusses the many people who have influenced him, mentioning Gary Vee, Roland Frazier, and others.How to Connect with Kelcey and Learn More (00:16:59)Kelcey provides ways to connect with him and learn more about Holdco Conference and 365 Holdings.Links and Mentions:Tools and ResourcesSuperhumanWebsitesHoldco Conference365 HoldingsBooksThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz on AmazonInfluential FiguresGary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee)Roland FrasierTranscript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I'm super excited to introduce you to Kelcey Lehrich. Welcome to the podcast, Kelcey.Kelcey 00:00:05  Thank you for having me. Great to be here.Josh 00:00:06  Kelcey I attended Holdco conference. You did a fantastic job. That was your first ever Holdco conference. Tell our guests a little bit more about this Holdco conference, because I think it's really unique. And you're kind of one of the first to kind of come up with this type of holding company conference.Kelcey 00:00:24  Yeah. So I appreciate your kind words and glad you could come. And we'll see you there next year. date's coming soon. so I have a friend in town named John Wilson. you can find him on the internet. He's pretty public. he and I met, and we both have, 50 to 100 employees, multiple tens of millions of revenue, and we have multiple businesses. And we knew a few other people that had similar circumstances. And there really was no event, no conference, no, kind of home base or hangout place for people like us.Kelcey 00:00:56  And one day I'm like, hey, like, why don't we go ahead and we'll host the party. and so John and I partnered on that project, and, from January, when it was kind of hatched with the tweet to July, it was a bit of a wild ride, but it was a lot of fun. We're really proud of the first year. And, yeah, it's meant to be the place that multi business entrepreneurs called the holding company, meet, learn, scale and grow. But the kind of niche there is that if you're in software and you're venture backed, there's a conference for you. If you are in real estate, there's a conference for you. If you are in insert any industry, sales, metal stamping, mobile home parks, whatever it is, there's a conference for you. If you're a Holdco entrepreneur, there really wasn't a place to call your own. And our vision for Holdco is to be kind of that home base for people like us.Josh 00:01:43  Yeah, I love that.Josh 00:01:44  I love what you guys have started there. And I think we'll dive into that a little bit in more detail later in this podcast. But Kelcey, you've got a vast experience in e-commerce. Obviously you have a holding company that has multiple brands. You've acquired multiple e-commerce brands, you've grown them, you've scaled them. So you have a wealth of knowledge. And for our listeners that have established businesses, they're looking to take things to the next level. I think they're going to be able to learn a lot from you. So why don't we rewind the tapes a little bit? Kelcey? And why don't you tell us a little bit about how you got into the e-commerce world to begin with, and then what led to the formation of 365 holdings?Kelcey 00:02:22  So six years ago, my partner and I, his name is Justin. I'm kind of the ideas guy, and he's kind of the executor. She's familiar with iOS. I've got the kind of visionary CEO role and he's kind of the integrator or CFO, and he and I have worked there for a long time.Kelcey 00:02:37  And prior to e-commerce, it was kind of like, the same idea. However, instead of ideas and strategy and like execution, it was like I was the sales guy and he was like the ops guy and all of our prior businesses, but we weren't online. We've never, never run ads, never shipped products. But we had sold a business for just enough money to make a down payment on an SBA loan. We had sold a business for $100,000, which was a lot of money. We did not hold any of it aside for taxes. We put all 100 grand down on the $900,000 loan to buy the million dollar first business. That was how we got started. 60 days later, we drained the checking account and maxed out the line of credit and bought another one. And thus begins the compounding. So, Yeah, six years ago. by by two that that, spring and summer, we had always had a vision of back to the old topic, wanting to run many businesses. We wanted to have diversity.Kelcey 00:03:30  I guess that's like, hey, what if you focused? What if you just did one thing? Could it be bigger? And my answer is like, I don't know, probably. But this is the business I want to have. I want to do many things. one of the things financially from a diversification perspective. two, I think it's fun. It's like what I want. So like, yes, this is what I'm doing. I'm sure it's like slightly less optimal than, I don't know. but six years have elapsed and today we've got 80 some employees. Six brands. we're in Akron, Ohio, and heavily vertically integrated. So we do in-house customer service, in-house ...

In this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley conducts a live strategy audit with eCommerce brand owner Charlie Mckenzie. They discuss advanced Amazon sales strategies, including keyword optimization, targeted PPC and product targeting ads, and leveraging Google Ads to custom Amazon Store pages for higher conversions. Josh emphasizes the importance of product innovation, catalog expansion, and understanding customer intent. Charlie receives actionable advice on improving ad efficiency, refining product listings, and sourcing new product ideas from platforms like Etsy. The episode offers practical tips for boosting Amazon performance and sustainable brand growth.Chapters:Introduction and Brand Overview (00:00:00)Josh introduces Charlie and outlines the brand’s focus on a single main product with size variations.Keyword Research and Organic Ranking (00:01:05)Discussion on keyword research, current rankings, and strategies to move up to top organic positions.Amazon PPC and Product Targeting Ads (00:02:07)Advice on using PPC, especially exact match campaigns and product targeting ads against same-color competitors.Leveraging Google Ads and Storefront Landing Pages (00:03:11)Strategy for using Google Ads to drive traffic to custom Amazon store landing pages to improve conversions.Reducing Competitor Distraction and Conversion Optimization (00:04:41)Importance of removing competitor distractions on landing pages to increase conversion rates from external traffic.Charlie’s Takeaways and Action Items (00:05:40)Charlie shares his main takeaways, including storefront creation and renewed focus on product targeting campaigns.Testing and Optimizing Product Targeting (00:06:51)Guidance on setting rules for product targeting ads and turning off underperforming campaigns.Product Innovation and Brand Expansion (00:07:34)Discussion on the importance of ongoing product launches and not relying solely on “home run” products.Marketplace Research and Arbitrage Opportunities (00:09:49)Charlie discusses using marketplace research and arbitrage to identify new product opportunities.Finding Trends Outside Amazon (00:10:48)Advice to look for trending products on other platforms (Etsy, DTC sites) and bring them to Amazon.Keyword Research and Listing Optimization (00:12:06)Charlie emphasizes his focus on keyword analytics and listing optimization for organic ranking.Focusing on Customer Needs in Sales Copy (00:12:53)Advice to highlight the root problem the product solves, not just compare features with competitors.Actionable Strategies Recap (00:13:46)Summary of key strategies: product innovation, customer-focused sales copy, and price testing for profit.Closing Remarks (00:15:47)Final thanks and well wishes as the episode concludes.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites  Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click Advertising) Google Ads Amazon Store Builder Data Dive Podcast Episodes  Tyler Gregg of Ampd on LinkedIn  Transcripts:Josh 00:00:00  Welcome to the Econ Breakthrough Podcast. I'm your host, Josh Hadley, where I interview the top business leaders in ecommerce. Today I'm speaking with Charlie Mckenzie, and we have recorded a live strategy audit session for you today. Charlie, welcome to the podcast. Thank you very much for having me on, Josh. I'm excited to be here. Awesome. At this point with Charlie Charlie's brand, he's got one skew. Well, he's got multiple skews because he's got some size variations in there, but he's got one product that is generating the sales for this brand. One of the first things that we looked at, for your brand, Charlie, was keyword research. And you're doing a great job of implementing the right search terms in your product title. In fact, you're crushing, you know, the competition in terms of the exact match keywords that you've got implemented in your title, and therefore you're actually ranked on the first page for many of those keywords. However, you're not in the top five positions right on most of those keywords.Josh 00:01:05  And so we then went through and discussed. All right. So what are some strategies that we can employ to. You've already got traction. You're obviously indexed for some of these big keywords. How do you move them up into that 1 to 5. You know organic ranking position? One of the things that we talked about was PPC. And Charlie, you know, you've started dipping your toes in the PPC waters. Initially we talked actually a couple of months ago, and you were not running ads on Amazon. And, you know, I told you like, hey, you should definitely start running some ads on Amazon because it is going to impact your organic ranking. You've been dabbling a little bit in that. My recommendation to you from our session was that, you know, create some exact match, keyword campaigns for those keywords that you're trying to rank for number one. But then number two, one of the things that we've found a lot of success with in our business is product targeting ads on Amazon.Josh 00:02:07  And so rather than just throwing it up against because with your particular product, there's there's other competitors that have different design variations, right. And so rather than just saying, hey, mine's beige, I'm going to go advertise on this pink one or this blue one. You the customer that's looking for a pink, product. They have a specific thought in mind. Right. Same thing. If somebody's looking for blue, like there's a reason why they clicked on the blue listing. So when it comes to setting up your product targeting ad campaigns, one of the things I would definitely recommend is only targeting those competitors that have the exact same color that you have, and you're going to get better performance that way. And what Amazon loves to see is if you can steal sales from those competitor listings, you will shoot ahead of them, on the organic ranking side, and that will allow you to increase your ranking a little bit faster there. In addition to that, we talked about some external marketing that you could be using and that is Google Ads.Josh 00:03:11  I know you've tested this in the past, had about a 200% ACOs there, which isn't great, obviously, but we talked about an additional tactic that you could use that could increase that performance because Amazon is definitely rewarding external traffic, right? in my prior one of the prior podcast episodes, we had Tyler Gregg of Amped on the episode, and he shared some fantastic strategies of how to create Google ads and the best way to maximize, you know, the return on investment on those. One of the big takeaways from that episode is that rather than just driving traffic to your current Amazon detail page, it's going to be better to create a store landing page for yourself. But in that store landing page, you recreate almost the exact way that your detail page looks on Amazon, and there's a specific section on the store builder page that allows you to basically recreate that detail page. That's exactly what you're going to want to do. And the beauty of driving that traffic to your store landing page that is literally identical to your detail page, is that you're able to remove all of your competitors because one of the tips, or I guess, one of the statistics that Tyler shared ...

In this episode, host Josh interviews Rafael, founder of Share It Studio and a 3x Telly Award-winning Amazon marketing expert. Rafael shares strategies for building a successful brand on Amazon, emphasizing the importance of understanding your target audience, leveraging Amazon’s brand analytics, and creating high-quality, authentic content. The discussion covers Amazon’s evolving brand-building tools, including A+ content, brand stores, and social features like Posts and Live. Rafael offers actionable tips for optimizing listings and highlights the value of investing in content to boost trust and sales. Listeners also receive a special discount on Share It Studio services.Chapters:Introduction & Rafael’s Background (00:00:00)Josh introduces Rafael, his achievements, and Share It Studio’s success with Amazon listings.Mentorship & Entering Amazon Marketing (00:00:38)Rafael discusses the value of mentorship and how he transitioned into Amazon marketing.The Importance of Brand Building (00:02:36)Josh highlights Rafael's results and asks where sellers should start with brand building and content.Identifying Your Amazon Audience (00:03:09)Rafael explains the need to analyze data and understand the differences between Amazon and other e-commerce audiences.Using Amazon’s Brand Tools (00:04:02)Discussion on Amazon’s brand analytics, content tools, and the importance of creating a brand experience.Amazon’s Social Features & Custom Content (00:05:22)Rafael emphasizes using Amazon’s social features (Posts, Live, Follow) and creating custom content for holidays and trends.Three Actionable Takeaways for Sellers (00:06:57)Josh summarizes three key actions: analyze data, update content based on findings, and prioritize/testing content types.Content Quality Reflects Product Quality (00:10:03)Rafael stresses that high-quality, authentic content signals product quality to buyers, especially for sensitive categories.Final Thoughts & Influences (00:11:17)Rafael shares his admiration for Gary Vee and Carlos, and the importance of helping others in the e-commerce space.How to Connect with Share It Studio (00:12:55)Rafael provides contact info, offers a complimentary consultation, and a special discount for podcast listeners.Closing Remarks & Bonus Offer (00:14:00)Josh and Rafael wrap up, highlighting the 15% discount for listeners who mention the podcast.Links and Mentions:Tools and Websites:  Share It Studio  Amazon Brand Registry  Amazon Live Videos  Instagram  Contact Information:  Email: hello@shareitstudio.comInfluential Figures:  Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) on LinkedInTranscript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I am super excited to introduce you to Rafael. Rafael is the founder of Share It Studio. He is A3X Telly Award winning entrepreneur in marketing and film. He has 13 plus years of marketing experience, five of which are specialized in Amazon marketing. Sherritt studio sets itself apart as a boutique agency with a high level, data driven approach and bespoke full package services. The studio boasts 500 plus successful Amazon listings, with an average sales increase of 77% within the first month of launching. So welcome to the show, Rafael.Rafael 00:00:38  Josh, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it. What you were saying about finding somebody to help you. it's the best way I found out. I did the exact same thing with my mentors. Is Josh Nelson right here? Okay, so what you're offering is actually very, very, very good. I highly recommend that anybody that's, you know, listen to this. I met Josh in person. Super cool guy. you should definitely at least talk to him.Rafael 00:01:02  maybe you're not ready, but maybe within a month, you know you'll hit the target and you'll be ready to to to, you know, reach out to Josh and he can help you scale your business. But if if somebody has a blueprint, why would you want to, like, go sideways if somebody knows what it's going to happen? He's going to tell you, like, hey, you might run into this and this is what you have to do instead of you bouncing your head against the wall, you know?Josh 00:01:27  So true. Rafael, I guess I need to pay you that $100 now. Slide that under the table there.Rafael 00:01:33  No, this is not paid advertising. In no way whatsoever. It's just that I really I was I was super I am so stubborn that I, when I had my company, I was working for Nickelodeon at the time, and, I was, coordinator for post-production for Latin America. And I'm like, you know, at that time, my ego was just stupid.Rafael 00:01:55  and I was like, no, I don't need anybody's help with this. I can do myself, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm just gonna apply for all the awards. I'm just gonna get all the awards and, you know, blah, blah, blah blah. And at some point I was like, oh my God, I'm really struggling, I need help. And a friend told me, a friend who's very much more successful than me with an agency. He's like, hey, man, I reached my million dollar mark, but I can't. I can't grow anymore. I don't seem to be growing. And he does completely different marketing. He does marketing for cleaning companies. I met this dude, and I really think you should meet him, and, you know, yada yada, yada. And Josh is the the the one of the reason why I went into the Amazon space.Josh 00:02:36  Well, Rafael, you've got a lot of experience obviously, in marketing. I mean, the statistics that you shared that, you know, as you've worked with over 500 different Amazon listings, you've been able to increase sales by 77%.Josh 00:02:50  That's a large amount. What should an Amazon seller or just an e-commerce seller? They're on the on board with you in terms of like they know they need to build a brand, but where do they even begin right to in terms of building out their content? They believe that brands are important. So like where do you start with all of this?Rafael 00:03:09  yes. That's a great question. It's a great, great question. it depends on the at what stage of your Amazon journey you're at. but if, let's say you're a seven figure seller, so you definitely have some, some, some data. even if you're selling an e-commerce or Shopify, you have data there. social media, which are your top followers? The tricky thing is that the the people who buy off of Amazon are not the exact same people who buy somewhere else. So even though you kind of simulate, some of my clients actually have a complete buyer persona on Shopify, then they have on Amazon.Josh 00:03:46  Interesting.Rafael 00:03:47  Yeah, it's super interesting.Rafael 00:03:48  Interesting. So if you have a seven figure seller on Amazon, you definitely have brand registry, which gives you brand analytics. Now let's understand the actual consumer. Who's the consumer who's buying from you. is it is it a male or is it a female?Josh 00:04:02  The first step is for you to identify who this audience is, right? Like who is the buyer for this particular product, because then that's going to change the way that you're merchandising your product, right? The images that you're creating. And then you also kind of dove into, you know, utilizing those tools, that Amazon has now done, I think, over the last two years, like Amazon has been...

In this episode, host Josh interviews Aaron Hovivian, CEO of The Collab Team, about scaling operations for entrepreneurs and solopreneurs. Aaron shares his journey from retail and corporate project management to founding his own operations consultancy. The discussion covers the importance of identifying strengths, implementing operating systems like EOS, and documenting SOPs to streamline growth from seven to eight figures. Aaron offers practical advice for overcoming operational bottlenecks and introduces his Ops Experts Club resource hub. The episode provides actionable steps for business owners looking to delegate effectively and build scalable, efficient operations.Chapters:Introduction & Aaron’s Background (00:00:00)Aaron shares his entrepreneurial roots, early jobs, and inspiration from his father’s business journey.Discovering a Passion for Operations (00:00:49)Aaron describes his natural inclination for improving systems and his transition from retail to project management.First Entrepreneurial Leap & Founding The Collab Team (00:01:35)Aaron recounts leaving a stable job to help a friend’s business, marking the start of The Collab Team.Systems Thinking & Early Genius (00:02:54)Discussion about always thinking in systems and the importance of operating in one’s zone of genius.Complexity in Growth & The Value of Operations (00:03:31)Aaron explains how business growth brings complexity and the need to streamline through operations.The Power of Delegation & Operating Systems (00:03:48)Aaron introduces the concept of “Delegate and Elevate” from EOS and the importance of SOPs.Why Operations Matter for Scaling (00:04:37)Aaron discusses why operations are crucial for entrepreneurs aiming to scale from seven to eight figures.Visionaries vs. Operators: Identifying Strengths (00:05:02)Aaron explains the difference between visionary entrepreneurs and those skilled in operations.Common Pitfalls in Delegation & Team Structure (00:06:17)Challenges entrepreneurs face when delegating without clear processes or team roles.Intentionality & Backward Planning (00:07:06)The importance of planning from the end goal backward to reduce daily frustrations.Operations as a Business Pillar (00:07:33)Josh compares operations to a three-legged stool, emphasizing its equal importance with sales and vision.Implementing Operating Systems & Frameworks (00:08:02)Josh shares his experience implementing operating systems and frameworks like EOS and Scalable.Entrepreneurial Profiles & The Kolbe Assessment (00:08:56)Discussion about the Kolbe assessment and how most entrepreneurs are high quick starts, not high follow-through.Three Actionable Takeaways for Entrepreneurs (00:09:33)Josh summarizes three steps: set your goal, do a time study/gap analysis, and document SOPs for delegation.Aaron’s Additional Advice: Start with the Highest Burn (00:11:15)Aaron advises tackling the most painful or draining tasks first to maximize relief and ROI.Ops Experts Club Gift & Resources (00:12:27)Aaron introduces the Ops Experts Club, offering free access and tools like the Gap Analyzer for listeners.Closing Remarks & Gratitude (00:14:31)Josh and Aaron wrap up, expressing appreciation and encouraging entrepreneurs to leverage operations for growth.Links and Mentions:Tools and WebsitesOps Experts Club on FacebookGap AnalyzerBooksTraction by Gino Wickman on AmazonAssessmentsKolbe AssessmentTranscript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I'm super excited to introduce you to Aaron Hovivian, the CEO and Project Lead at the Collaborative Team Management, or AKA the Collab Team. So welcome to the podcast, Aaron.Aaron 00:00:11  Hey Josh, thanks for having me man. So good to be here.Josh 00:00:13  Aaron, you've got a lot of experience. As we can see in operations, you've helped grow solopreneurs into multifaceted eight figure brands and helping scale people beyond that. Aaron, let's back things up and tell me, like, how did you even get started in operations? Why is that your specialty?Aaron 00:00:31  Yeah, I you know, so growing up, my dad was an entrepreneur. My dad was entrepreneurial, you know, and I saw him going out there starting his own business. For him, it was construction for him. He, you know, he had been working for some big guys doing construction in Southern California, you know, for his whole career. And at the age of 40, you know, he said, hey, I'm going to go out and do this on my own.Aaron 00:00:49  He was able to build this empire for himself. You know, of 85 people doing, you know, high rise construction ceilings in LA in Orange County. And I think inspired by his journey, I think is what inspired me. But I noticed me all growing up, you know, from my earliest jobs. I started working in skateboard snowboard shops as a kid, you know, but even there I did a lot of retail just starting out. A lot of kids do, you know. But I noticed about me is that I'm always pulling apart systems. Like, I'm always wondering, how could we tweak that? How could we make that better? Rolling into businesses that don't have training manuals and building train training manuals, you know, looking at their POS system to see how they're dealing with point of sale, like wondering how the customer journey is going to be and just compliment to you, Josh, even just the sequencing of your automations, of sending the invite to this just to be on this podcast, I was like, that guy gets it.Aaron 00:01:35  Like, let's make the customer journey easy. Like, let's take out of the way the encumbrances or the stumbling blocks. And so I think that's been my journey all the way through. right before I started the Colab team, I was doing project management for a large credit union here in our area in southern Oregon. And I was doing a lot with construction, project management, but also project management within the organization and helping with new platforms, coming online and managing teams and I had my first entrepreneur knock on my door and say, hey, he had been a friend of mine for a lot of years. His name is Keith Yaki. He's got a great brand out there. He did real estate for a lot of years, and now he's leaning into something he calls the married game. But Keith Yaki knocked on my door and he said, hey, what would you think about leaving the credit union and coming out and doing this thing with me? I need somebody that just gets operations. You know, they were doing a big bus tours, fix and flip education brand, and he was like, I, I've got all the knowledge, I've got all the education.Aaron 00:02:25  I've laid out the whole program. I know it's going to work, but I'm super nervous about the details. What would you think about taking a step with me in this? And so that became my first client for the Colab team, and I left something super stable and kind of like my dad, you know, this, this corporate gig that, you know, had been around for 50 years. They'll be around for 50 more. They loved me being there. I loved them as people. But I just saw that desire in my heart of, I want more than that. I want to be entrepreneurial. I want to get out there and get out onto my own brand, on my own two feet and take things to the next level. And so that's kind of what started me down the journey.Josh 00:02:54  I love that, I love that, you know, from an early age, you were always kind of like pulling things apart. Trying to figure ...

John is the Brand Evangelist at PickFu and Founder and CEO of Aspy, he helps businesses make data-driven decisions to optimize their product listings and marketing strategies on Amazon.Highlight Bullets> Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn…. Importance of optimizing main images for Amazon product listingsSignificance of click-through rates (CTR) for Amazon sellersRole of the hero image in attracting potential customersInsights into consumer behavior and preferences when shopping onlineNecessity of data-driven decisions for product listing optimizationContinuous testing and optimization of hero imagesUnderstanding and adhering to Amazon's image guidelinesRisk versus reward in image presentation strategiesTrends in product imagery and innovative visual elementsImportance of clearly communicating value propositions in hero imagesIn this episode of the Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast, host Josh Hadley interviews John Aspinall, brand evangelist at Pickfu and CEO of ASPY. They discuss the critical importance of optimizing main images for Amazon product listings to boost click-through rates (CTR). John emphasizes that a compelling hero image is crucial for attracting clicks, likening it to the exterior of a house. He shares insights into consumer behavior, stressing the need for data-driven decisions and continuous testing. The episode concludes with actionable takeaways for improving CTR and sales, highlighting the role of visual elements and the impact of tariffs on product costs.Here are the 3 action items that Josh identified from this episode:Regularly Test and Optimize Your Main Image: Stay competitive by continuously refining your hero images.Understand the Impact on Conversion Rates and Ad Spend: Your main image directly affects these critical metrics.Leverage AI Tools: Use AI tools to scale testing and experimentation effectively.Resources mentioned in this episode:Josh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough YouTubeeComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comHelium 10Jungle ScoutSmart ScoutAmazonPickFuCanvaGoogle WhiskGoogle EffectsClaudePerplexityDeepSeekGoogle GeminiMr. BeastThe Diary Of A CEOSteven Pope in LinkedInLa Roche-PosayChatGPTSpecial Mention(s):Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedInKevin King on LinkedInMichael E. Gerber on LinkedInRelated Episode(s):“Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist’s Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Kevin King’s Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough PodcastEpisode SponsorSponsor for this episode...This episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.If you’ve hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that’s Ecomm with two M’s) to ...

In this episode, Chad Franzen interviews Josh and Becca Hadley about their journey working together as a married couple. They share insights into balancing business and family life, setting boundaries, and defining clear roles. The Hadleys discuss the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship as partners, offer advice for couples considering a joint venture, and highlight the importance of communication, shared vision, and prioritizing their relationship. Personal anecdotes reveal their daily routines, family priorities, and fun facts about each other, providing an honest look at blending marriage and business.Chapters:Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:00:00)Chad Frandsen is introduced as the interviewer; Becca and Josh Hadley are welcomed to the podcast.Working with Your Spouse: Initial Thoughts (00:00:21)Becca and Josh share their experiences and feelings about working together as a married couple.Early Days of the Business (00:01:54)Josh describes how they started working together, their routines, and the excitement of building the business.Balancing Roles and Avoiding Friction (00:03:29)Discussion on the importance of clarifying roles and responsibilities to prevent conflicts.Work-Life Boundaries and Daily Routines (00:04:46)Chad asks about setting workday boundaries; Becca and Josh explain their flexible approach and daily schedules.Family Priorities and Involvement (00:07:01)Josh emphasizes prioritizing family, coaching kids’ sports, and the importance of being present as parents.Advice Received About Working Together (00:08:24)Becca and Josh recall advice they received about working as a couple and the importance of maintaining balance.Advice for Couples Considering Business Together (00:10:23)Josh and Becca offer advice to couples thinking about starting a business together, stressing clear roles and shared vision.Working from Home: Pros and Cons (00:12:39)They discuss working from home, its benefits, challenges, and how it affects their work-life transition.Personal Insights: About Each Other (00:13:43)Chad asks Becca and Josh to share something listeners wouldn’t know about the other, revealing personal and fun facts.Closing Remarks (00:15:52)Chad wraps up the interview, thanks the guests, and offers best wishes.Links and Mentions:Company/Tool:Rise 25Book/Quote:No success in the world can compensate for failure in the homeTranscript:Josh 00:00:00  Today I'm excited to introduce to you. I have two special guests with me. We have my wife, Becca Hadley, and then we have Chad Franzen here of rise 25, who has done hundreds of interviews with successful entrepreneurs and CEOs. We have flipped the script, and he is going to be interviewing Becca and I today. So welcome to the podcast, Chad.Chad 00:00:21  Hey, thanks so much, Josh. Great to be here with both of you. So, Becca, what is it like working with your spouse?Becca 00:00:28  Yeah, I love it. I know almost every single person I talk to always says, I don't know how you do that, or that didn't work for me or were divorced or whatever it is. We I think it's been one of the best things for us. I think we had a strong foundation before we began working with each other, and it kind of started off slow. And Josh was working in corporate America. We were working together at night, but for us, it's been it's been fun.Becca 00:00:51  It's been our hobby, I think since both of us are doing what we love, it's very fulfilling and then even more fulfilling to do it together. I think one of my favorite things is just the opportunity to, like, travel together to different conferences like we've had so many like couples trips that are business trips. and it's been so fun. We've seen so many places together. I think we're also learning new things together at the conferences we go to and the things that we listen to, the podcast, everything that we do together. So I think it takes our relationship even to the next level, which is really fun. Now, that's not to say that it's always easy. We definitely have our frustrations or our arguments or sometimes, like when we're on a date. In my head, I'm like, stop talking about the business, let's be on a date. So it's just finding a balance and making sure that, like in our relationship that we have like family time specifically and date nights and business time.Becca 00:01:41  And for us, honestly, it has been an incredible blessing. I've loved every minute of it.Chad 00:01:45  So great. Yeah. Why don't we get back to that in just a minute? Kind of the the boundaries or whatever, like work and home or whatever. But, Josh, what are your thoughts on working with your wife?Josh 00:01:54  Yeah, I think that it's been an amazing experience. And I think that, like Becca talked about, it's Is important for us. I think it like has actually brought us closer together because we've been working on like a similar vision. Like I would say, like kids brings you together, right? You and your spouse together on like a similar vision of like, we want our children to to succeed, but also with the business. We want our business to succeed. And so it's been fun. Like I like Becca mentioned, like it was what was it literally a year after we had been married or like, yeah, it was one year after we had been married was when we kind of like got started into the business and working together.Josh 00:02:36  And it was fun. You know, we didn't have kids at the time. We had a child on the way at the time, but for us, it our kind of life looked like this. I would come home from work at American Airlines, and then we would sit down together at night. And at the time I could have a TV show on in the background and be all right with that. But we would put on something fun, and then we would just be working together and we would be chatting and saying, hey, look at this cool thing I found. You know, hey, you know, and at the time, we were working with custom wedding invitations and brides. And so it was always like whenever we got to sell or somebody paid their deposit or they got booked on the calendar, it was like this big win. And I'd go run over and tell them, it's like, we got another one. And it was just like an exciting time for us. And, you know, we would stay up late into the evenings until like one, two in the morning, just working on the business together.Josh 00:03:29  But we loved it and that's what our life revolved around. And and now as we have children because of the, you know, hard work, I think that we put forth early on, it's paying dividends in terms of us being able to be more present at their sporting events and having more flexibility in our schedule. But to Becca's point as well, like, it hasn't just been all rainbows and unicorns, not necessarily like there's there's friction at times. Right. And that friction, a lot of it comes down to, you know, are we on the same page in terms of like the vision and where we're going with the business, but also like in clarifying our roles? I think that's been one of the most important things, like if Becca were trying to be the CEO as well and she were like super possessive of like, this is my business, I have to be the CEO. Then that could cause a lot of friction. And I feel like that's what happens a lot of times is you've got a husband and wife and they don't necessarily clarify the roles.Josh 00:04:27  They're like, I want to be the leader. I want to be the leader. And then they both start stepping on each other's toes. But because Becca does so well a...

Josh started his career at American Airlines (AA) and spent 5 years in their MBA leadership development program. Josh’s experience at AA further refined his leadership abilities and strategic decision making skills. While employed at AA Josh and his wife Becca started Hadley Designs. As the CEO of Hadley Designs, Josh led the business to gross $100,000+ in revenue within it’s first year and in 2022 Hadley Designs crossed the eight figure mark, grossing over $10,000,000 in revenue.Highlight Bullets> Here’s a glimpse of what you would learn…. Leveraging AI tools for hiring management-level staff globally.Conducting a time study to identify hiring resource allocation.Creating a clear role profile and scorecard with defined expectations and KPIs.Attracting top talent through detailed job descriptions and hidden tasks.Sourcing a large pool of candidates to ensure quality selection.Implementing AI recruiting tools for streamlined candidate sourcing and application management.Establishing a rigorous vetting process, including assessments and test projects.Conducting group interviews to evaluate candidate interactions and dynamics.Performing thorough reference checks to verify candidates' past performance.Setting high performance standards for new hires to enhance team effectiveness.In this podcast episode, the speaker, an experienced entrepreneur and host of the "Ecomm Breakthrough Podcast," shares a detailed seven-step process for hiring management-level staff using AI tools. The speaker emphasizes the importance of conducting a time study to allocate hiring resources effectively, creating detailed role profiles and scorecards, and leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT for efficiency. They discuss innovative techniques such as group interviews and AI-driven resume screening to streamline the hiring process. By implementing rigorous vetting processes and thorough reference checks, the speaker provides actionable insights for scaling businesses to eight figures and beyond.Here are 3 short, actionable takeaways from the podcast summary:Start with a Time Study: Track your daily activities in 15-minute increments for two weeks to identify tasks you can delegate—this sets the foundation for hiring the right management-level support.Use AI to Streamline Hiring: Leverage tools like ChatGPT to quickly generate tailored role profiles and scorecards, and platforms like Workable to automate resume screening and candidate sourcing.Vet Rigorously, Hire Deliberately: Implement group interviews, test projects, and reference checks to assess both skills and culture fit—only hire candidates who raise the bar for your existing team.Resources mentioned in this episode:Josh Hadley on LinkedIneComm Breakthrough YouTubeeComm Breakthrough ConsultingeComm Breakthrough PodcastEmail Josh Hadley: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.comOdesk (now known as Upwork)Criteria Corp (for assessments)Workable.phChatGPTSpecial Mention(s):Adam “Heist” Runquist on LinkedInKevin King on LinkedInMichael E. Gerber on LinkedInRelated Episode(s):“Cracking the Amazon Code: Learn From Adam Heist’s Brand Scaling Secrets” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Kevin King’s Wicked-Smart Tips for Building an Audience of Raving Fans” on the eComm Breakthrough Podcast“Unlocking Entrepreneurial Greatness | Insider Secrets With E-myth Author Michael Gerber” on the eComm Breakthrough PodcastEpisode SponsorSponsor for this episode...This episode is brought to you by eComm Breakthrough Consulting where I help seven-figure e-commerce owners grow to eight figures. I started Hadley Designs in 2015 and grew it to an eight-figure brand in seven years.I made mistakes along the way that made the path to eight figures longer. At times I doubted whether our business could even survive and become a real brand. I wish I would have had a guide to help me grow faster and avoid the stumbling blocks.If you’ve hit a plateau and want to know the next steps to take your business to the next level, then go to www.EcommBreakthrough.com (that’s Ecomm with two M’s) to learn more.Transcript AreaJosh Hadley 00:00:00  Today, I'm going to be walking through how we're going to be leveraging AI to hire management level staff anywhere in the world. Okay. And I'm going to be showing you guys kind of the filters, everything that we've set up. There's a lot to dissect in 20 minutes. So we're going to be flying through all of this. But the good news is Jim and Mimi, those two things that you talked about AI and hiring leaders, like, that's exactly what I'm talking about today. All right. So this is the easy way to use AI to find incredible management level contractors overseas. as Bryce mentioned. Who am I? So first and foremost, father of four, husband to a beautiful wife. We had a baby six months ago. Five months ago. His name is Harvey and Harper. She's the one here. She's a she's my second and she's six years old. So happy to have her with us. And then we started our brand on Amazon back in 2016. We've been an eight figure brand on Amazon for three years straight now and then.Josh Hadley 00:00:49  I'm also the host of the Ecomm Breakthrough podcast, where I share strategies to scale from 7 to 8 figures and beyond in the e-commerce world. All right. So first up, I want to share a story. So all of us have heard the amazing opportunity to go higher $3 an hour. Filipinos that can revolutionize our business, right? Everybody's talked about that. Okay, so this was me back in 2017 being like, oh, everybody's hiri...